Ry2Tree2 Bonsai Weblog: Repotting The Monster Mulberry

Supply materials: 3/16/2021

            After a number of weeks of being buried in snow,
final week my larch seedlings began setting off alarm bells with inexperienced
needles bursting from their dormant buds. “REPOTTING SEASON IS HERE, GET
YOUR A@# INTO HIGH GEAR!” – might be what they had been telling me. I shortly
reorganized my work and homework schedule to make the previous week as
bonsai-focused as potential for this slender springtime window. Whereas
spring can be
the right time for planting
seeds, as we speak we
will focus on the primary of a handful of main
repots I did final
week. As we speak’s repotting report focuses on one of many largest timber in my
assortment in the intervening time – a yardadori/panorama origin mulberry tree.

            This repot was carried out with the assistance
of my buddy within the
Columbus Bonsai Society, Kevin. Kevin grew up round Portland, Oregon and moved to Ohio only a
yr or two earlier than I moved again. It has been nice having one other PNW native
individual to speak bonsai with. Thanks in your assist constructing the develop field,
Kevin! Y’all will certainly see extra of him in future initiatives on this weblog
😉.

Sections

First up: The Monster Mulberry with a falling aside plastic pot (therefore the necessity for the repot).

I. Repotting Fundamentals Recap

            As I mentioned final yr in my article “When to Repot“, it’s typically finest to repot and prune roots earlier than buds and leaves
open in spring. Should you disturb/prune too many roots after a tree has already
opened its leaves, the tree will probably be at a lot higher danger of dieback or
full demise as a result of when leaves are open the tree can do a lot much less to
regulate its water loss. One explicit yardadori plum I transplanted only a
few weeks too late after the buds opened died in order that this lesson could be
ingrained in me. Sorry plum :(. In any case do not repeat my errors and get
repotting in the event you see buds opening; or, in the event you should delay/regulate roots
outdoors of spring, achieve this by slip potting with minimal root pruning solely!
Younger timber might tolerate extra abuse and fewer precision, however particularly when
coping with gathering/transplanting outdated and fragile timber, I encourage you
to be light and be strict with this rule. Use your judgment and experiment
to search out what works and the place the boundaries are with completely different species in your
local weather.

            Repotting at this second for this yr in
Columbus (earlier than the emergence of leaves however after the top of freezing
temperatures that kill new roots) permits the crops to have extra management
over their water wants whereas regrowing roots as a result of roots will regrow up
to and together with when leaves emerge. I additionally suspect crops may decelerate
their leaf emergence in response to root/water consumption loss if wanted, however
bud opening is a preprogrammed exercise to some extent. When transplanting
or repotting, all the time think about that water consumption should be capable to match
water loss and sugar manufacturing+saved sugars should exceed sugars wanted
for restore and regrowth. These are the basic equations of plant
biology that we manipulate in bonsai by our pruning and rising cycles.
Delicate root pruning shouldn’t skew these equations out of steadiness an excessive amount of,
however certainly one of our instances of extra extreme root pruning from this spring warrants
extra consideration utilizing this framework.

    Ranting apart, now for the large tree.

II. The Monster Mulberry

            This can be a big prebonsai yardadori that
was once a metropolis tree. After substantial dieback (see the deadwood
under), town now not needed it and the earlier proprietor dug it up. 4
years in the past – earlier than I even had my first automobile – I purchased this tree through the
Fb auctions group since they might conveniently ship it to my entrance
door. In that point, I’ve not repotted the tree or carried out a lot styling. As a substitute, I’ve
targeted on letting it develop new branches to heal scars and observing it,
however because the pot is now falling aside (see the primary picture), it now calls for
my consideration.

The Monster Mulberry, as photographed in January 2017 after we first met. Photographs taken in my outdated school rental home 😂. I’ve all the time imagined this because the entrance of the tree.

Monster Mulberry rearview, January 2017.

Rearview pre-repot 2021.

Facet view pre-repot 2021.

The opposite aspect view; with the cracking plastic in its full glory. pre-repot 2021.

I take advantage of 2:1:1 mixture of aged pine bark: lava: pumice for deciduous timber.

            Is Monster Mulberry a becoming title? With a bit extra deadwood work, the monster will shine much more. It by no means ceases to amaze me how spending the time to concentrate on a uncared for tree could make it certainly one of
my favorites in a single day.